Hanover officials defend drug search at high school

Officials are defending a drug search at Hanover High School on Friday that some parents have called an “overreaction.”

By Neal Simpson

The Patriot Ledger, Quincy, MA

By Neal Simpson

Posted Mar. 19, 2013 at 12:01 AM
Updated Mar 19, 2013 at 7:12 PM

By Neal Simpson

Posted Mar. 19, 2013 at 12:01 AM
Updated Mar 19, 2013 at 7:12 PM

HANOVER

» Social News

Officials are defending a drug search at the high school Friday that some parents have called an “overreaction.”

The hour-long search at Hanover High on Friday morning involved 14 drug-sniffing dogs and turned up several small quantities of marijuana, none larger than an ounce. Six students were each given a civil citation for possession of marijuana and seven students are facing disciplinary action.

No students were criminally charged.

School and police officials said the search was part of an ongoing effort to encourage responsible behavior among students and foster a drug-free environment in the schools.

But some parents said they saw the operation as a heavy-handed response to isolated incidents involving students and drugs or alcohol.

“I just find the whole thing a vast overreaction without any due process or investigation,” said Kevin Zygadlo, one of three parents who contacted The Patriot Ledger to voice concerns about the search. The two others did not want to be named.

Drug sweeps with police dogs are routine at high schools in some South Shore communities, but Police Chief Walter Sweeney said Friday’s operation was the first of its kind in Hanover during his time as chief. He said the planned search required coordination with several local agencies, including the Plymouth County Sheriff’s Department, and is part of “an ongoing effort, both by the police department and the school department, to achieve a safe learning environment for all students.” He said it was not prompted by any particular event.

Sweeney said 14 drug-sniffing dogs and their handlers arrived at the school with a contingent of Hanover police officers at about 9:25 a.m. Friday. He said the school was placed in a “soft” lockdown while the dogs were taken through the building, meaning most classes continued uninterrupted.

In addition to searching the hallways, Sweeney said, the dogs were taken into 12 randomly selected classrooms to sniff backpacks while students waited in the hall. The dogs also sniffed all cars in the school parking lot and indicated the potential presence of drugs in several of them.

Libby Corbo, the chairwoman of Hanover’s school committee, said most of the confiscated marijuana and paraphernalia were found in the parking lot. No other drugs or alcohol were found.

Corbo said parents were told about the search in an email sent Friday. She said she supported the decision to conduct a police search, which she described as “one tool” that school officials can use to combat substance abuse among students.

“We want to ensure that our students have a safe, drug-free place to learn,” she said in a statement. “Students who do not follow the rules regarding drugs face various consequences as outlined in the student handbook.”

But not all parents agreed with the scale of the operation and the way it was carried out. Zygadlo, a one-time candidate for school committee, said his two children were alarmed when police filed into the building – particularly in light of recent school shootings – and began sending him text messages.

Page 2 of 2 - “They were concerned that there was some murderer in the school,” he said. “It was overdone.”